First loaded Iranian oil tankers exit Gulf via Hormuz despite US blockade
Three Iranian oil tankers carrying a combined five million barrels of crude have become the first loaded vessels to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force, according to tracking firm Kpler, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
The Deep Sea, Sonia I, and Diona—all under US sanctions—passed through the strategic strait on Wednesday after departing Iran’s Kharg Island, having loaded crude on April 2, 8, and 9 respectively, according to maritime data.
Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports starting Monday, aimed at preventing Tehran from exporting oil.
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Before this, no Iranian tanker had exited the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz carrying crude since the Starla on April 10.
Maritime tracking platforms have not shown recent AIS transponder signals from the three vessels, as their tracking devices are switched off. Their last known transmissions date back to roughly a month ago in the Strait of Malacca, according to Marine Traffic data.
Kpler used satellite imagery to confirm that all three tankers crossed the strait on Wednesday.
The destinations of the vessels remain unclear, although they have for several years routinely delivered cargo to the Singapore region. There, ship-to-ship transfers are frequently used to move crude onto other tankers bound for China, according to Global Fishing Watch and Kpler data.
In March, all three vessels transferred Iranian crude near Singapore. The Deep Sea’s previous cargo was delivered by the Utopia Quest to Yantai in northern China on March 30.
The Diona’s cargo was delivered by the Indigo Ray to the Dongjiakou oil terminal in northern China on April 10. The Sonia I’s cargo was transferred to the Adeline G, whose final destination has not been confirmed.
Since March 1, at least 37 Iran-linked tankers have conducted ship-to-ship transfers in the Singapore area, totaling at least 62.3 million barrels of crude oil, according to Kpler data analyzed by AFP.
Separately, two sanctioned Iranian container ships exited the Gulf earlier this week but later turned back near the Pakistan border and were last tracked close to Iran’s Chabahar port.
Two additional sanctioned cargo vessels also passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the opposite direction and were last detected near Iran’s Bandar Abbas port.
By Nijat Babayev
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